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Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

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Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation

The Boston Society of Architects (BSA) is committed to professional development for its members, advocacy on behalf of great design, and sharing an appreciation for the built environment with the public at large. Established in 1867, the BSA today consists of more than 3,500 members and produces a diverse array of programs and publications, including the annual tradeshow and conference, ArchitectureBoston Expo (ABX) and ArchitectureBoston magazine. A chapter of the American Institute of Architects, The BSA is a nonprofit, professional-service organization. ~ The BSA Foundation seeks to enhance public understanding of the built environment and the processes that shape it. With understanding, our communities will be better equipped to enrich and preserve our physical and natural surroundings. Established in 1984, the BSA Foundation supports activities that illuminate the ways that design improves the quality of our lives. Foundation programs reach Boston’s children and families, residents and community groups, as well as policy makers, urban planners, students, and visitors. The BSA Foundation’s vision is to build a better Boston by engaging communities, inspiring vision, and provoking positive change. >>Watch this video to learn more. ~ Both organizations are located at BSA Space at 290 Congress Street at Boston's Ft. Point Channel. BSA Space, which is free and open to the public, features more than 5,000 square feet of gallery space for creative explorations of the potential of design to inspire, create community and transform the world we inhabit.

http://www.architects.org/

  • Three women leading the charge in rethinking resilience, urban design and city planning set the tone for a day-long discussion about how the city of Boston can make a concerted effort to better understand and address the effects and implications of racism, past and present. Supported by the work of the 100 Resilient Cities Initiative, Boston's Office of Resilience and Racial Equity has identified racial inequity as the leading issue impacting the resilience of Boston. The day of symposiums was intended to confront the explicit and implied racial inequities embedded in our policies, procedures and methodologies, beginning by interrogating our own assumptions as citizens and professionals and asking ourselves how, why, and for whom our cities and our practices provide opportunity.
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • Hyeok Kim, Deputy Mayor of the City of Seattle, was the keynote speaker at the [**2016 Design for Equity**](http://forum-network.org/series/design-equity-boston/ "") curriculum in Boston. She outlines her city's data analysis and strategy for equitable growth through 2035. (Photo by Flickr user: [Anne Hornyak Chicago, Illinois](http://www.annehornyak.com "") via Wikimedia Commons
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • The Dutch landscape is mostly water and sand, and most of that exists below sea level. It is not a country rich in natural resources, yet despite these limitations, the Dutch have managed to create a vibrant culture, and economy. Dutch architecture and a value for urbanism contributed to creating place, and that helped balance the needs of the fragile ecology, while building urban landscapes that not only met the needs of a dense and growing populace, but created some extraordinary urban constructs (think Amsterdam, Delft and other canal cities). Even today, this tradition of integrating architecture, urbanism, engineering and landscape design helps shape the continued transformation of contemporary Dutch cities, like Rotterdam and its expansive harbor. In this discussion, a panel of experts lead us through the Dutch experience with an eye to how Boston is now facing the prospect of rising sea levels. They show some new trends and strategies that contemporary Dutch designers, urbanists, planners and engineers are engaging in as they again face rising sea levels. In particular, they focus on how new forms of public space, landscape and infrastructure can be integrated into a more resilient urban landscapes.
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • The John J. Moakley federal courthouse celebrated the 25th anniversary of its site selection on Boston’s Fan Pier with a special film screening and exhibition by architectural photographer Peter Vanderwarker. A panel discussion about the development of the South Boston Seaport district featuring Bill Rawn FAIA, Jean Carroon FAIA, Former BRA chief planner Kairos Shen, and Renée Loth, editor of Architecture Boston, follows the short film. Photo: Danielle Walquist Lynch from Boston (Another view of the Channel) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • **Dr. Atyia Martin** speaks about how Climate Resilient Boston will build on the work of Boston Living with Water, 100 Resilient Cities, and Climate Ready Boston by providing input to the City of Boston on potential solutions for the climate change and resiliency challenges faced by coastal communities. This initiative will continue to build a network of designers, engineers, and other practitioners to help advance Boston’s ability to address climate change risks.
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • During Mayor **Karl Dean**'s tenure, the City of Nashville experienced an extraordinary construction boom, as it worked to expand public transit, connect neighborhoods, and strengthen the city's brand. What can the Boston region learn from Nashville's efforts? Can cities outgrow their identities, and how do architects and city planners work together to develop new brands? **Geeta Pradhan**, President of the Cambridge Community Foundation, addresses these questions with Nashville's former Mayor Dean, the first Mayor in Residence at the Boston University Initiative on Cities. Their conversation touches on issues of equity, access, and exploring the relationship between civic goals and the physical city.
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • Suffolk Downs represents a large tract of relatively open land, straddling the cities of Boston and Revere, which offers the opportunity to imagine design elements that foster a forward-looking twenty-first-century neighborhood that is equitable, diverse, environmentally aware, and in tune with shifting development trends. This discussion introduces a three-day workshop organized by the Boston Society of Architects Foundation, during which two teams of architects and urban designers create ideas for the redevelopment of the area. **Renée Loth**, editor of _ArchitectureBoston_ magazine, moderates this panel discussion regarding the goals of the workshop and the Suffolk Downs area. The architects participating in the workshop present their design proposals in the second part of this event on March 3, 2016.
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • Boston City Hall and Plaza were intended to create an open and accessible place for government, an exuberant statement of democracy and civic life. Needless to say, that’s not the prevailing opinion today. What can we learn from Boston City Hall’s early ambitions? This Designing Boston panel will focus on the building and plaza, and its original design and intent. The building was designed in the 1960s as a new space for citizens to engage with their government. The plaza was intended to provide a monumental gathering space and welcome all who pass through. What happened? How far have we strayed from the original goals? Is there an opportunity today to reset the clock? Panelists **Mark Pasnik**, **Anita Berrizbeitia**, and **Michael McKinnell** offer their opinions, with attorney **Michael Ross** moderating.
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • Boston has joined an elite group of cities pledging to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 80% or more by 2050. Consider two facts: one, that 73% of Boston’s GHG emissions is attributed to buildings; and two, a typical city renews three quarters of itself through tear down, new building, and renovation about every 30 years, according to leading urban design think tank Architecture 2030. Together, they point to the need for Boston to seize the next 30-35 year natural renewal cycle and consciously use it to transform all buildings, modes of transportation, energy sources, and activities that currently produce GHG emissions. Given the large percentage of emissions attributed to buildings, the urban form and function of Boston is likely to change in many exciting and positive ways. What would a roadmap of change look like from 2015 to 2050? Ed Mazria challenges the audience to focus on the pathways for Boston to achieve de-carbonization in three short decades, from building technologies and planning approaches to policy and regulatory innovations.
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation
  • The cities of Boston and Cambridge will be launching citywide planning processes this fall; for Boston, it’s the first in 50 years. Both promise creative “engagement,” but what does that mean? What should they consider? What are some of the most creative and unique ideas that involve citizens in planning their city? Join a panel of national speakers from Boston to Denver to Dallas, as they share new approaches to community outreach and to inspire our cities to be equally creative.
    Partner:
    Boston Society of Architects/AIA and the BSA Foundation